PAWTUCKET -- Less than a week ago, Brandon Snyder was getting ready to fly from Phoenix to San Antonio with the rest of the Texas Rangers for two exhibition games against the San Diego Padres.

PAWTUCKET -- Less than a week ago, Brandon Snyder was getting ready to fly from Phoenix to San Antonio with the rest of the Texas Rangers for two exhibition games against the San Diego Padres.

Instead, with the Rangers overflowing with infielders and short on playing time, Snyder wound up opting out of his contract on Wednesday and packing up to drive his wife home to Virginia. He was midway through New Mexico when he got word from his agent that the Red Sox had called.

By Tuesday morning, Snyder was jumping on a plane in Memphis to take him to Pawtucket to join the PawSox in time to be introduced with the rest of the team at McCoy Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. He essentially takes over for Mauro Gomez, designated for assignment to make room for Jackie Bradley

"Being with the Rangers, they were so packed up with guys," Snyder said. "There were a lot of guys they needed to look at. I was just really looking for the opportunity to play, to get a chance to get a chance of scenery."

The No. 13 overall pick in the 2005 draft -- he was selected by Baltimore immediately after Pittsburgh took Andrew McCutchen and Cincinnati took Jay Bruce -- Snyder has hit .276 with a .324 on-base percentage and .418 slugging percentage in just over 100 plate appearances in the major leagues with Baltimore and Texas.

In almost 3,000 plate appearances in the minor leagues, he's hit .275 with a .335 on-base percentage and .431 slugging percentage. He's played mostly first base in his minor-league career, but he began learning to play the outfield with the Rangers last season.

"I hadn't really played very much until I got to the big leagues," he said. "But when (Josh) Hamilton got hurt, I got a chance to play a lot of left field, a lot of right field, and I enjoyed it. It was another way to get in the lineup, and that's all I'm looking for."